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Saturday, April 9, 2016

StarSlinger Saturday - How Big a Star or Planet Filled Sandbox?

I've been going back and forth between a sector of space with multiple systems and a single system with numerous inhabited planets and moons for the StarSlinger.

The sector of space allows for interstellar travel and potentially more nonhuman species. It's spacial footprint is huge - virtually infinite. Jump drive, hyper drive, warp drive, jump gates - you need to find a way to significantly exceed the speed of light, or go around the speed of light, to make this work.

A single planetary star system, with maybe a baker's dozen of habitable planets and moons, limits the sandbox but still allows for night infinite space, especially as ships will be traveling at less than the speed of light.

Both allow for sandbox play while the single planetary star system allows for more focus, or at least that's how I'm viewing it.

So, after long thought, I'm going with a single planetary star system.

Three planets, along with two habitable moons, will lie in the temperate belt (yep, I'm mapping this in my head like a globe of the earth) Mostly earth like with some variations amongst the three worlds, these are the core worlds. Three super powers of different values and strengths.

Two inner planets (one with a habitable moon) will default to more arid conditions, especially around the equator.

Three outer planets with one habitable moon. Temperate around the equator, traveling any distance from the equator leads to severe arctic conditions rather quickly. The moon itself is barely hospitable to life.

The three core planets are attempting to colonize the inner and outer planets, for resources and military influence. Homesteading is common place, but with the exception of military bases and the occasional high tech urban center, most colonists are doing what they can do to get by. Self sufficient and for the most part, anti government - all government for a large part. The colonists aren't drawing lines between the powers, they are drawing a line around themselves.

With three powers vying for influence and secret treaties the norm, rarely is there open conflict near any of the core worlds. Too much to risk for to little in return. Instead, the colonies are much like pieces on a chess board, occasionally sacrificed to strengthen a position elsewhere. They know the role they play and none are happy with it.

Banking is independent of these governments and can be considered a fourth power unto themselves. It is headquartered on the moon that orbits one of the three core worlds and is responsible for the transplanetary monetary credit system. It has it's own planetary defenses and authorizes the Star Marshals with their power to arrest on all worlds (Law enforcement whose jurisdiction ends at it planet's borders would be the Planetary Sheriffs

Smuggling between planetary powers is a way of life for many traders, as taxes on goods can change in the time it takes to traverse between the two ends of the trip.

1 comment:

I like this quite a bit, I think there are a lot of cool possibilities in having the Banking cartel based on a core world moon. They have their independence, and presumably some military might, but they are also more vulnerable to one of the major powers if there were some sort of major crisis.

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Why "Swords & Wizardry?"

Believe me when I say I have them all in dead tree format. I have OSRIC in full size, trade paperback and the Player's Guide. I have LL and the AEC (and somewhere OEC, but I can't find it at the moment). Obviously I have Basic Fantasy RPG. Actually, I have the whole available line in print. Way too much Castles & Crusades. We all know my love for the DCC RPG. I even have Dark Dungeons in print, the Delving Deeper boxed set, Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea (thank you Kickstarter) (edit) BOTH editions of LotFP's Weird Fantasy and will soon have some dead tree copies of the Greyhawk Grognards Adventures Dark & Deep shipping shortly in my grubby hands awaiting a review..

I am so deep in the OSR when I come up for breath it's for the OSR's cousin, Tunnels & Trolls (and still waiting on dT&T to ship).

So, out of all that, why Swords & Wizardry? Why, when I have been running a AD&D 1e / OSRIC campaign in Rappan Athuk am I using Swords & Wizardry and it's variant, Crypts & Things, for the second campaign? (Actually, now running a S&W Complete campaign, soon to be with multiple groups)

Because the shit works.

It's easy for lapsed gamers to pick up and feel like they haven't lost a step. I can house rule it and it doesn't break. It plays so close to the AD&D of my youth and college years (S&W Complete especially) that it continually surprises me. Just much less rules hopping than I remember. (my God but I can run it nearly without the book)

I grab and pick and steal from just about all OSR and Original resources. They seem to fit into S&W with little fuss. It may be the same with LL and the rest, but for me the ease of use fit's my expectations with S&W.

Even the single saving throw. That took me longer to adjust to, but even that seems like a natural to me now. Don't ask me why, it just does. Maybe it's the simplicity of it. At 45 48, simplicity and flexibility while remaining true to the feel of the original is an OSR hat trick for me ;)